


worlds apart

by cyandlne



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Highschool AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-03-10 18:31:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13507362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyandlne/pseuds/cyandlne
Summary: “What?! I don’t even know you!” Dennis announced.“Dude, we’ve been in high school together for three years.”Oh.





	1. Chapter 1

     “Byeeee~!” Dennis sang to the girls in the car sweetly as he made his way to the front door of his mansion. The parties were arguably his favorite part of high school, and what’s not to love? He thought Sunday was an odd choice for a sweet sixteen, but what did a sophomore know? He was just glad to be invited. A little bolster to the ego was never a bad thing. He looked at the door in front of him - a lazily ripped piece of paper was taped to the inside of the glass door.

 

_“Next time, don’t miss curfew. Have fun on the streets tonight._

_\- Dad.”_

 

     He checked his watch. 12:03 AM. He was supposed to be back by 11:30. But oh, what else is new? Dad was an asshole, as usual, and Mom would never say anything about it. He thought about Dee - he couldn’t be too mad at her, she might’ve been kicked out too. It was no matter, though. Dennis dug in his pockets for the key he had copied a year back. Ok, not the right pocket, where it usually is, let’s try the left -

 

     Shit.

 

     He remembered opening a six pack for the girl with his key. He remembered placing that same key on the counter to proceed to drink a beer in the six pack. Apparently, he had never picked it back up. Dad was at least kind enough to leave his backpack outside too. Whatever. He could survive one night outside. No biggie. He grabbed the backpack and headed off to the nearby park. If he could climb the fence, he figured that’d be the safest place.

 

     Was it always so cold?

 

     ...What was that noise? 

 

     No, no no. Dennis was an indoor cat. This was no place for an indoor cat. The park was still a few blocks away. How would he ever make it there?

 

     “Hey!” A voice said loudly. Dennis froze. “Hey, you, over there!” 

 

     Reluctantly, he turned to the noise. A man - no, a kid, like him - across the street was crouched down and nuzzling a cat.

 

     “Dennis, right?” He said. His voice was kind of...squeaky. Why did he look familiar? 

 

     “Y-Yeah,” Dennis would later be proud that someone he didn’t know knew him by name, but right now it was confusing and humbling.

 

     “Come over here,” The boy waved him over. Perhaps it was a lapse in judgment, but there was something very trustworthy about this kid. Dennis crossed the street. Now he was able to get a closer look at his face. Fluffy hair, a bit of stubble on his face, a green army jacket. He knew this kid. Where? When?

 

     “What are you doing on the streets this late?” He asked, genuinely concerned.

 

     “Ah, um. My asshole dad kicked me out.” Dennis scratched the back of his neck nervously. “What about you?”

 

     “I like to feed the cats around here. I know these streets, so my mom doesn’t mind. But Jesus, it’s cold! He just kicked you out like that?” Before he could even finish his sentence, the boy was taking off his army jacket. He offered it to Dennis, who took it hesitantly. It _was_  cold.

 

     “I was at a party and I missed my curfew, that’s all.” Dennis looked out towards his house. 

 

     “Still, what a shitty thing to do.” The boy shook his head. “Here, come and stay at my place.”

 

     “What?! I don’t even know you!” Dennis announced. Just go home with a stranger? Absolutely not.

 

     “Dude, we’ve been in high school together for three years.”

 

      Oh.

 

     “Whatever. The street rats would eat you alive out here, looking like that. You need to come stay with me. My mom won’t mind.” The kid grabbed Dennis’s forearm to lead him to his house. Well, this might as well happen.

 

     They approached a house that looked way too nice for this kid. He knocked on the door, three times, and said, “Mom, it’s me.” A frightened woman opened the door and pulled him close. “Oh, Charlie, I was so worried!”

 

     Charlie. Charlie with the army jacket. 

 

     “Dirtgrub.” Dennis said reflexively. Charlie looked at him, annoyed. 

 

     “Come in, come in. It’s cold.” Charlie’s mom lead them both inside, shut the door, then locked and unlocked it three times. The house was much nicer than one he expected from a kid they called Dirtgrub. “Who’s your friend?”

 

     “This is Dennis, mom. Dennis Reynolds. He’s gonna stay here tonight.”

 

     “Oh, my! The Dennis Reynolds! I’ve heard a lot of talk about you, you know.” She smiled. A lot of talk about him? What did that mean?

 

     “Mom!” Charlie yelled, a little flustered. “Dennis, you can sleep in the guest room.” 

 

     “Oh, um, thank you, Mrs. ...” Shit. He didn’t know Charlie’s last name.

 

     “Mrs. Kelly isn’t my style. You can call me Bonnie!” Mrs. Kelly smiled at him again.

 

     “Thank you, Miss Bonnie. Really.” Charlie lead Dennis up the stairs and to a room in the hallway. 

 

     “Here. We can walk to school tomorrow. I’ll get you up.” Charlie said as Dennis threw his things down. He’d sleep in his clothes, that was fine. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

 

     “A beer would be great,” Dennis said, chuckling. He didn’t drink too much at the party, and a little drink just to get him sleepy sounded perfect. It was a joke, though, of course - 

 

     Charlie opened a little bench and pulled out 2 cans. He tossed one to Dennis. It was cold.

 

     “Drink up, bro.” Charlie tossed it back quickly - almost impressively. Dennis took a sip then let the can sit in his lap. “I seriously still can’t believe your Dad just...kicked you out, like that.” He shook his head in utter disbelief. 

 

     “It’s what Dads do. I’m sure your dad gets pissed at you sometimes, right?” Dennis chuckled heartily. Maybe it was pretty bad, though. His dad was a bad father, that much was clear, but did this go too far? Charlie picked at loose threads on his jacket. 

 

     “I don’t...have a dad...” He said quietly. The tension was thick enough to slice with a knife, and Dennis was not happy about it. “But, I mean, if they’re always so shitty all the time, then maybe I’m better off without one, y’know? Mac’s Dad sucks too.”

 

     “Mac?” Dennis closed his eyes in pensive thought. Mac, Mac, who was Mac? 

 

     “...Mac. Ronnie the rat?” Charlie offered him a sympathetic look.

 

     “Oh, the dude we bum weed off of!” Dennis announced with a clap of his hands. Charlie frowned. “That kid’s kind of an asshole, though, yeah?” 

 

     Charlie shrugged. “He’s my friend.”

 

      “Just because you’re friends doesn’t mean you can’t rag on em once in a while. Recognize their flaws, y’know?” There was nothing Dennis loved more than trash talk. Any dirt was good dirt.

 

     “I’m not gonna complain about my friend from elementary school to some bigshot I just met.” Charlie said firmly. “And I was just starting to think you weren’t so bad...”

 

     “...What do you mean?” The words should have rolled off of Dennis easily, but they stung. A lot. Why?

 

     “Well, I mean, when you parade around school with the title of ‘Golden God’,” Charlie used air quotes. “Those of us you ignore think you’re kind of a tool. Turns out you’re human. Just like the rest of us.”

 

     “Well, I kinda thought the same about you, you know.” Dennis fired back. Charlie gave him a look of confusion, and Dennis sipped the beer to let the statement simmer a little bit. 

 

     “…What’s that supposed to mean?” Charlie sneered. 

 

     “Oh, gee, I don’t know, maybe when you eat dirt and huff glue and sell weed,” Dennis looked at him. “Those of us who don’t do those things aren’t supposed to idolize that behavior?” He smirked. “But for a split second, you seemed like a normal person.”

 

     “DON’T - “ Charlie yelled, then closed his eyes and collected himself again. “You know that you only notice us when we do stuff like that, right?” 

 

     “...Huh?”

 

     “It’s an attention thing, alright? You guys won’t ever talk to us unless we do stuff like that.” It took Dennis a moment to process what Charlie had said. He couldn’t even remember what Charlie’s name was. These words hurt. Weirdly. “Whatever. I’m going to bed.” Charlie stood, letting his empty beer can fall onto the floor with a loud clash.

 

     “Charlie, wait -“ Dennis reached out to grab him, but he was already at the door.

 

     “Goodnight.” Charlie slammed the door. Dennis looked towards the floor.

 

     Whatever. What did he care? He didn’t care. Not at all. Dennis Reynolds was not going to get upset because some kid named Dirtgrub didn’t like him.

 

     Charlie. Charlie Kelly.  

 

     Ugh.

 

* * *

 

     Charlie, despite seeming pissed beyond words, still woke Dennis up the next morning. He led him downstairs to breakfast made by his mom. They ate and Dennis listened intently to the conversations between Charlie and Mrs. Kelly.

 

     “Did you sleep well, Charlie?”

 

     “Fine, Mom.”

 

     “And you Dennis?”

 

     “Me too Mom.” Dennis replied without thinking. He looked up, embarrassed. Mrs. Kelly smiled as Charlie held in a smirk. 

 

     “Alright, Den, let’s head out.”

 

     “Have fun at school, boys!”

 

     It wasn’t until the door closed that Dennis realized.

 

     “Den?” 

 

     “I mean, yeah. We’re brothers now, right?” Charlie grinned.

 

     “Shut up.”

 

     “Who woulda thought, eh? The Golden God and Dirtgrub hanging out.” Charlie reached up and put an arm around Dennis. He hated how casual he was being, but it definitely beat the tension of last night. 

 

     “Dennis!” A feminine voice called out behind them. Charlie immediately let go of Dennis and put about five feet between them. Dennis turned around.

 

     “Hey, Dee.” 

 

     Dee took no notice of Charlie and instead asked Dennis a few questions. “Where’d you sleep? What did you do? I’m sorry I couldn’t let you in…” Dennis glanced at Charlie, confused. He mouthed the words “my sister” and Charlie nodded in understanding.

 

     “Ey, yo, Charlie!” A voice called out up ahead. Ronnie the Rat (or Mac, as Charlie called him) waved to him. Charlie ran towards him and Mac gave him a noogie. 

 

     “Dennis, hurry up! The bell’s gonna ring! We’ll be late.”

 

     “Come on, Charlie, I found a cool new gloopy thing in the upstairs bathroom. You gotta see it.”

 

    Dennis subtly waved to Charlie with a half-smile.  Charlie smiled back.

 

   They stepped into the school together, worlds apart. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie loses his friend, and almost loses another. Ronald McDonald is there.

     “Woah woah woah,” Mac said, taking another drag of his cigarette. “You had the Dennis Reynolds stay at your house?”

 

     “Yeah. I just said that, dumbass.” Charlie picked at the skin around his cuticles. 

 

     “Oh, dude, that’s amazing!” Mac clapped his hands together, careful not to drop the cigarette. “What’d you do? Put his hand in warm water? Draw a penis on his forehead...?” He leaned in with interest. “T-bag him? Did you get pictures?"

 

     “I...” Charlie looked back at him. “Let him sleep in my guest room and gave him breakfast.” 

 

     “...Are you kidding me?” Mac shoved him a little bit. “This was our one chance to get back at those pricks, and you just treated him like a VIP?”

 

     “I treated him like a human, alright?” Charlie pushed him back.

 

     “Oh, I’m sorry, your majesty!” Mac shouted, the veins in his arms becoming apparent. “Suddenly he gives you some attention and you’re too good for the rest of us?!” 

 

     “Would you quit it?!” Charlie stamped a foot down. “It was one night, the whole thing is over! We’re back to the bottom. You and me,” He grinned bitterly. “Ronnie.”

 

     “Don’t.” Mac held a finger up in warning.

 

     “You heard me,” Charlie smirked again. “You. Rat.” 

 

      Mac lurched forward, aiming for Charlie’s throat, but he was stopped by a supervisor who heard them yelling. Their sentence was an after school detention, for cutting class and smoking. The rest of the day they didn’t talk in classes. This was all Mac’s fault. Maybe it was Charlie’s fault. He shouldn’t have even told Mac in the first place. He held a pencil between his nose and mouth, legs up on the pencil ridden desk of the detention room in front of him. He glanced at the window, and there was... 

 

     “Dennis?” Charlie whispered to himself, astounded. The pencil fell, prompting the teacher to shush him. Charlie never cared to be shushed. Indeed, there was Dennis, walking with his sister. Dennis glanced inside and smiled at Charlie, but it didn’t feel friendly, more mocking and condescending. Of course they weren’t friends. Mac looked out too, to see what all the fuss was.

 

     “Oh, there he is again.” He grumbled angrily to himself.

 

     Detention was only a few hours, but it felt like days. Mom would be worried. The cats were probably hungry. This was the worst. Charlie thought he might die of boredom until the final bell rung. He grabbed his things and left without even looking at Mac. 

 

     Philadelphia was such a large city with plenty of opportunity, but in the small world of Charlie Kelly it seemed infinitesimal. Philly was all he had ever known, and he knew every inch of it. It was a fishbowl. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing. Without Mac, it seemed even smaller. Should he go home? What was there to do at home? Practice piano? Nah. Play basketball at the park? With who? Pete was suspended again, and that was basically Charlie’s only other friend outside of Mac. Except, maybe now…

 

     “Nope. You are not going to Dennis Reynolds’s house.” He said to himself, aloud, for no real reason. But where else was there to go? He knew where his house was…but he probably couldn’t just show up. It’d have to be something a little more intricate than that.

 

     “Dennis!” He whispered into the now sun-setting sky. A small rock flew up toward the window upstairs. No response. He threw another one. “Yo Dennis!” The window opened. His plan had worked.

 

     Oh, wait, who was that?

 

     “Yes?” A blonde girl - Dennis’s sister, what the hell was her name… Dee! - peeked out. Charlie, never one with slow reflexes, hopped behind some shrubbery, just out of view. “Bill? Is that you? Oh my gosh, are you gonna confess your love to me like in the movies?”

 

      Geez, what was this girl’s problem? Though, Dennis was certainly a man of theatrics. It stood to reason that his sister would be too. Was she younger? Older? They were in the same grade…twins, then.

 

      “Hellooo?” Dee called out again. Very faintly, Charlie heard a familiar voice. 

 

     “DEE, SHUT UP!” The yell was muffled but clear enough. Dennis was on the other side. Charlie waited until he heard Dee close the window before hopping to the other side of the house. 

 

     “Dennis! Den!” Charlie yelled in a whisper. “Deeeeeeennnnnnnnniiiiiissssss…” He sang quietly. The nerves in his body kept telling him this was a bad idea, but there he stayed, his feet planted in the nicely mowed lawn beneath him. 

 

     No response.

 

     Good. 

 

     Charlie turned to leave, but he tripped into one of the bushes. His usual tact left him as he hurriedly tried to escape before anyone saw him. The window above squeaked, and it was all over.

 

     “What the - Charlie?” Dennis whispered. Charlie managed to finally win the battle with the bush and came out halfway, a few leaves remaining on his iconic green jacket.

 

     “Hey hey hey, Dennis!” Charlie answered nervously, in a tone that resembled one of a fortuitous meeting between acquaintances. “What are, uh, you doing here?”

 

     “I live here.” He answered, deadpan.

 

     “Right, right, yeah.” Charlie stretched his neck.

 

     “What are you doing here?” Dennis asked, after an uncomfortable silence. His tone should have been rude and accusatory, but instead was a polite one of genuine interest.

 

     “Oh, you know…”

 

     Dennis shook his head. “I really don’t, actually.”

 

     …

 

     “Do you wanna…come over for dinner or something?”

 

     “Woah, really?” Charlie, caught off guard by the invitation, scrambled in an effort to stand upright. 

 

     Dennis shrugged. “Whatever. My parents let me do whatever I want. See? Watch.” He leaned into his room to yell to his parents, but Charlie stopped him. “Nah, it’s fine…I’d feel bad.”

 

     “So, leave.” Dennis said, leaning his elbow on the windowsill, supporting his head with a closed fist. “Unless you wanna go out to eat.”

 

     Charlie considered this option as a serious one. But with what money? “I don’t think I can…uh…"

 

     “If it’s a monetary issue, I’ll take care of it. It’s the least I can do for yesterday.” Dennis offered half a smile to Charlie.

 

     “Don’t - don’t take me somewhere expensive.”

 

     “Is McDonald’s ok?” He giggled heartily.

 

     “Perfect.”

 

     Dennis was surprised at Charlie’s enthusiasm, but that’s how they ended up at McDonald’s at 6:15 PM on a Monday. Seated atop oddly springy booths, a tiny table between them, adorned with four cheeseburgers, two large fries, a large coke and a large vanilla shake, two little cups of ketchup, and a lazily stacked pile of napkins. Charlie sipped his milkshake loudly due to the nature of a fast food straw; Dennis picked at his french fries one of a time. A clear separation of class, as Charlie thought he was being treated to McDonald’s, and Dennis thought he was being reduced to McDonald’s. The only thing they had in common? Neither wanted to encounter a  certain Ronald McDonald.

 

     Yet. Here he was.

 

     Dennis scowled at the statue - it was tacky at best. Charlie slumped into his seat.

 

     “Don’t look now. Mac’s here.” He whispered, embarrassed. His face a bright red, going pale as Dennis blatantly ignored his instructions and very conspicuously turned to see Mac at the counter. 

 

     “Charlie,” He said, turning back to see Dirtgrub with his head in his hands. “I thought you and…uh…Mac, were…friends."

 

     “Not since I told him I hung out with you!” Charlie replied, quickly covering his mouth after realizing his math teacher was right that he has no inside voice. He didn’t need to look to know Mac heard and would be coming over soon.

 

     “Listen, Charlie, you can’t let people kick you around like that!” Dennis swirled the coke in his cup. “If you act like you did something wrong, then people will treat you like you did something wrong. Here, let me handle it.”

 

     Mac was indeed on his way over, and Dennis waved him hello before he could say anything. Clearly caught off guard by the gesture, Mac stopped.

 

     “Hey, Mac, right? Good to see ya, man!” Dennis…sounded different. It was definitely his voice, but…not the voice Charlie learned to know over the past day.

 

     “Uh, hey, uh…”

 

     “Dennis is good.” He flashed a smile - a bright, beautiful, charming smile. “You wanna sit?” Mac sheepishly shook his head. “It’s all good, man. Hey, Charlie was just telling me about you. You guys seem so close, y’know? Everyone at school is so phony. It’s refreshing to see something so real.”

 

     As fake as Dennis sounded, some of that didn’t sound so fake.

 

     Mac looked to Charlie for confirmation, Charlie faked the best smile he could. Luckily, in typical Dennis fashion, there wasn’t much silence.

 

     “Yeah, I wanted to treat Charlie out to dinner as a thank you for last night, but he’s so humble! He didn’t even want anything, but I just had to take him out. So he forced me to come to McDonald’s! You don’t meet guys like him anymore, I tell ya.”

 

     Charlie couldn’t help but blush, just a little. Even though it was lies, it was still sort of sweet.

 

     “Uhm, sounds great, but I’ve really got to run. Nice meeting you, Dennis. See ya ‘round, Charlie.” And as quickly as he entered, Mac, and the drama surrounding him, was gone. Charlie watched as the door exiting the restaurant closed.

 

     “Dude, that was amazing! How’d you even do that?!” Charlie leaped forward and grabbed Dennis’s shoulders. He removed them ungracefully, causing Charlie to recoil in shame.

 

     “It’s called manipulation, Charlie. Tell them what they want to hear, and they’ll act the way you want.” Dennis smirked as he examined the barrel of his straw, satisfied with himself. 

 

     “That was so. cool. You have to teach me sometime.”

 

     Dennis stopped moving. His head raised until his eyes locked into Charlie’s. “I’m sorry, where did you get the impression that we would be hanging out again?”

 

     Charlie looked down at picked at a hangnail. Wait, no. Dennis wasn’t going to keep talking to him like this. He just told him not to let people walk all over him, right? “Dude, really? I let you sleep in my house after you treated me like trash for 3 years. You had nowhere else to go.”

 

     “And I thanked you for that! What, do I owe you something? I bought you dinner!”

 

     “A bed to sleep in is probably worth more than two cheeseburgers, some fries and a shake!” Charlie slammed his fists on the table. Things rattled. People stared. He sipped his shake to calm his nerves. Dennis’s expression was unreadable. A steady brow, thin eyes and relaxed mouth.

 

     Mac was right. These two didn’t mix. Dennis was nothing but trouble.

 

     It was going to be a long rest of dinner. And an even longer walk home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you wanna know how stupid i am? i literally didn't even remember to make the joke about ronald mcdonald until i did. I picked mcdonald's arbitrarily. this is also not sponsored by McDonald's, nor am I anti-McDonald's. form your own opinion

**Author's Note:**

> look forward to chapter 2, also have you accepted charden as your lord and savior yet?


End file.
